Blood Brothers
by Nogard
Summary: Cory finds out Shawn has gone through some unexpected changes when he explains that his date was a vampire.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, guys," Cory greeted as he entered the Matthews' house. Amy, who was watching television, quickly looked up.

"Hi, Cory. Listen, have you seen Shawn today? His father called; apparently Shawn didn't come home last night."

"No, he wasn't at school today," Cory said worried. "You don't think something happened?"

"Oh Cory, I hope not," Amy said. "If you hear anything, be sure to let us know."

"Okay," Cory immediately agreed. "Where's Eric?"

"Oh, he's staying over at Jason's house for the night, supposedly studying for the SATs." While Amy supported her oldest son, she had a pretty good idea of how committed he was to his schoolwork. "It will be dinner time soon, so don't go far."

"Okay. What're we having?" Cory asked.

"Leftover spaghetti," she answered.

"Cool," he said, trying not to worry about his best friend.

That night, Cory awoke to a tapping on his window. Having a good idea who it was, he walked over. Sure enough, Shawn was watching him from the roof. Wondering what this was all about, he opened the window. "Hey, Shawn. What's up?" he asked casually.

Shawn eyed him intently from where he stood. "Hey, Cory…" His voice seemed a bit shaky, "You… think I can come in?"

Cory was a little worried, Shawn hadn't acted meek like this for a while. "Sure." He stepped back to let him in.

Shawn leapt inside with one fluid motion and somehow avoided making any noise. He began pacing back and forth. "Cory? We can tell each other anything, right?"

Eager to help his friend, Cory quickly reassured him, "Of course, Shawn, we're best friends."

Despite his edginess, Shawn started to smile. "Best friends, huh? Yeah, we're like family. Brothers, even."

Cory smiled, "Yeah, we're like brothers. So, what's bothering you, Shawn?"

Shawn stopped pacing and stood still. "Remember that girl Margaret? Well, yesterday, we went on a date, right? And she and I started making out, you know, when…" He broke off.

"C'mon, Shawn, you can tell me anything," Cory encouraged, "Brothers, remember?"

Shawn took a deep breath. "Well, Margaret told me… That is, she showed me… Cory, Margaret's a vampire. She bit me. Now I'm one, too."

Cory took a moment to process this piece of information. _Is this revenge for that whole werewolf thing?_ "Um, Shawnie, I don't want to put this the wrong way, but how do I know you're not crazy?"

Shawn had expected such a reaction, though Cory's was nicer put. "Feel my neck; the bite's all healed up, but you can feel the mark."

Cory hesitantly reached out his hand and touched his friend's neck. Shawn moved his hand to the appropriate spot. Cory could indeed feel two scabs. He also couldn't help but notice that his friend was very cold. "Well, uh, so you have a scrape, that doesn't make you a vampire."

Shawn leaned in close and opened his mouth, revealing long pointed eyeteeth. No longer confident, Cory felt himself become nervous. "Okay, Shawn, you say you're a vampire – I'll believe you… C- could you put them away?" Shawn closed his mouth and leaned back.

"So… uh, what's it like?"

Shawn met his eyes and Cory saw the intensity that blazed there. "It's the most amazing thing! Cory, I can see everything. I know you haven't turned on the lights, but to me it's like daylight." Shawn grinned, "And the _smells_! I understand so much just from the smells alone. Cory, you can _not_ imagine some of these smells, they are just _so_ different!"

Cory grinned as well, enjoying his friend's pleasure. "Sounds awesome. Any downsides?"

Shawn's grin faded. "Well…" he looked away, "There is the blood thing… Everyone… they smell like…" he trailed off.

Cory felt himself get nervous. "Like… food?" he offered. Shawn locked eyes with him. _That would be a yes…_

"I _will not_ be a predator," Shawn declared. "I am Shawn Hunter, _not_ Dracula!"

"Good to hear." Cory smiled, relieved. "So, uh, Shawn… Any cool powers?"

Shawn thought it over. "Hmm, well, I've got the super senses, I'm not Superman, but I've got some pretty good super strength… Uh, I can't fly, I tried that… Listen, Cory, it's been a very long day, do you think I could crash here? I just can't handle going home right now."

"Sure, you can sleep here," Cory replied. "I'm not sure my parents will be too happy, though."

"Don't worry," Shawn said, "No one needs to know I'm here. Feeny didn't see me, no one did. I can sleep under Eric's bed just fine, I don't really need to breathe anymore."

Cory didn't much like the idea of his friend sleeping under a bed, but he saw the wisdom of such an approach. Besides, Shawn had hid in his room before… sort of. "Well, if you're sure you'll be alright…"

"I'll be fine," Shawn assured, "You just go back to sleep, now." He crawled underneath the bed.

"Good night, Shawn," Cory bade as he climbed in. _So, my best friend's a vampire and he's under Eric's bed right now. Okay… At least it can't get any stranger…_

Cory woke up to his alarm clock. The night's events fresh in his mind, he stared off into the distance. _Shawn a vampire? Was it a dream? It had to be a dream. Crazy…_

"Would you turn that off?" Shawn asked from under Eric's bed.

"Uh, sure!" Cory switched it off. _So it wasn't a dream_… Which meant either Shawn really was a vampire, or he was kidding. Cory assumed it was the latter.

"Um, Shawn," he started, "Am I crazy, or did you tell me you were a vampire last night?"

"Close the curtains and I'll tell you." Shawn answered. Cory looked over at the window with sunlight streaming through, and hastily closed it. Shawn slipped out from under the bed and faced him. Shawn really was quite pale and there was something strange about his eyes.

"You're not crazy," Shawn said, flashing his fangs as he spoke, "And neither am I."

"Whew, that's good. Haha, I was worried!" Cory laughed to make up for the bizarreness of the moment.

"Need me to prove it?" Shawn asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Shawn, you're my best friend," Cory began, "If you say you're a vampire, then _by golly_, you're a vampire!"

"So that would be a yes, then?" Shawn queried.

"If you would, that would be very helpful. Thank you." Cory said quickly.

Shawn walked over to the bathroom door and slowly opened it. The window behind the shower was spilling harsh sunlight into the room. Closing his eyes, Shawn quickly reached his hand in and pulled the shower curtain closed. Making sure that the other door was locked, he motioned for Cory to enter.

Cory stepped into the bathroom with Shawn, wondering what was going to happen. He looked at Shawn questioningly. Shawn nodded toward the sink. Cory turned and gasped at what he saw, or rather, what he didn't see in the mirror. In the mirror, Cory was standing by himself with no Shawn.

"So, are you convinced?" Shawn asked from beside him.

"Yeah… sure." Cory answered, dazed. He kept staring at the mirror. _It's real. It's all real…_ "Sooo…" He tried desperately to find a topic of conversation. Suddenly something occurred to him. He turned to look at Shawn. "Wait, Margaret's a vampire?"

"Oh, yeah," he looked solemn. "She definitely is…"

"And she attacked you! Shawn, we've got to tell the police! She could still be out there!" Cory darted out, heading for his phone. In a blur, Shawn appeared, grabbing his shoulder. "Shawn!" he cried in alarm.

"Cory, you can't tell anyone, especially the cops!" Shawn said sharply, digging his fingers into his friend's flesh. "They would never believe you unless they saw me. They'd lock me up in some government facility. Cory, you can't tell _anyone_!"

"Shawn, you're hurting me!" Cory cried in fear and pain. Shawn instantly let go and backed away.

"I'm so sorry, Cory!" Shawn said, visibly shaken. "It's these vampire urges. They're very hard to control."

"That's okay," Cory got out. "Look, I promise I won't tell the police. But I can't keep this from Topanga, okay? We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Yeah, okay," Shawn agreed quickly, "But just make sure _she_ doesn't tell anyone."

"Okay," Cory agreed. He glanced at the clock. "Listen, we've got to go to school soon. Are you coming?"

"No, it hurts to be in the sunlight now," Shawn said. "And my eyes can't seem to adjust properly to the light."

"Hmm," Cory fished around in his drawers, pulling out sunglasses and a bottle of sunscreen. "Here, try these."

Shawn frowned, and then after a moment he smiled. "Sure, I'll give it a shot."

"Good," Cory said with relief. "I'm going to take a shower. You can change into my clothes if you want."

"Thanks," Shawn said, looking at the sunscreen bottle hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, that's enough sunscreen,_ Shawn thought, gazing at the window. The deadly sunshine floated at the edge of the curtains. _Time to test it._ He walked over and slipped his hand behind the curtain, preparing for pain. But there was no pain, only a slight buzz of unease.

He slipped on the sunglasses and opened the curtains, letting the sunlight spill over him. Again he escaped with only minimal discomfort. Grinning with excitement, he realized his normal life was not entirely lost to him. He heard the shower stop, and waited for Cory to enter the room.

"Hey, Cory, it worked," he told him with delight. "I totally owe you for this!"

"Best friends, remember?" Cory reminded him. "We don't owe each other anything."

He grinned; he was truly lucky to have Cory as a friend.

"Cory, breakfast!" Cory's mom called up the stairs.

At the mention of food, Shawn found himself suddenly filled with hunger, or rather thirst. Suddenly, his best friend looked and smelled appetizing. "You go eat," he told Cory, struggling to keep his cool. "I'll meet you at school, okay."

"You sure you'll be alright?" Cory asked with concern.

It was like a cartoon where your friend has turned into a giant talking steak. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he reassured him. "It's not like I don't know the way."

"Alright," Cory agreed, heading out. "See you there."

"Later," he replied, as Cory shut the door. He sighed, letting loose an animalistic growl. _There has to be something else I can eat._ He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. Unlike when he was human, the water did not look at all refreshing.

Deciding to try it anyway, he bent down, uncomfortably positioning his head in the sink, and pressed his lips to the stream of water. Trying to ignore the faucet jamming into his cheek, he took large gulps of the liquid. His thirst slightly diminished and he continued, thankful he didn't have to breathe. Suddenly the second door's handle shook as someone tried to open it.

"Cory, open the door!" Morgan's voice came to his ears quite clearly, even though it should have been muffled by the wood.

_Sorry, Morgan,_ he thought, standing up and turning off the water. _I should go now, anyway._ He unlocked the door, pulled it slightly open, and then quickly retreated into Cory's room using his superior speed. He made sure his sunglasses were in place, and jumped out the window to land in Feeny's backyard.

He instantly became aware of the sunlight, and, despite his sunscreen, felt an urgent need to seek shade at once. Trying to silence his unease, he began his trip to school at a fairly brisk pace, one that quickly became a full out run.

_Warp speed,_ he thought, watching the landscape blur past him out of the corners of his eyes, dimly aware of his feet pounding the concrete sidewalk. The vampire in him seemed to know exactly how to move, and when to dodge the objects in his path. For the time being, he found he could sit back and enjoy the roller-coaster-like sensation as his body moved purely under the control of his instincts. _Just be sure you can retake control,_ he reminded himself.

----

Cory slowly sipped his orange juice. It was hard to eat when you were filled with concern for your friend.

"Something on your mind, Cory?" Amy asked. "You've hardly touched your food."

Cory's mind went to Shawn's partial loss of control earlier, thinking about Shawn touching 'his food.' Feeling his shoulder start to ache, he pushed the horrible and disturbing thought aside. _Shawn promised he wouldn't hurt anyone._ "I'm fine, mom."

"Are you worried about Shawn?" she pressed.

_You could say that…_ "I'm sure he's fine," he said, trying to convince himself.

"Well, you be sure to _tell us_ if you hear from him," Alan cut in, with what Cory recognized as a rather forceful tone.

"Yeah, yeah," he agreed, hoping to reassure him. He went as far as to say, "I wouldn't lie about something like this, dad." He felt guilt build up inside him. Even though he was helping Shawn, he hated having to lie to his parents.

"Good," Alan affirmed. He returned to his coffee, and Cory tried to eat more of his cereal.

_Even if I promised not to tell the police, it doesn't change the fact that there is still a dangerous vampire out there,_ he thought to himself. _Perhaps I can get Shawn to help warn people without giving his secret away?_ He pondered the thought. _Maybe just tell them she's dangerous?_ But no, they would need evidence. _I'll just keep my promise for now,_ he decided. Finishing as much as he could eat, he took the dishes over to the sink to rinse them out.

----

Shawn smiled with relief when he reached the school building. He was tired of the constant need he felt to run away from the light like a cockroach, and welcomed the relative shade the halls offered.

No students filled the halls. He seemed to have beaten everyone there. _Oh well, might as well be the first to school some time._ He began to approach his locker, but paused to sniff the air. A very familiar scent was floating around, one he could not place. It was definitely human, but musty and with a slight hint of peppermint.

Hearing the likely producer of the scent nearby, he decided to wait and see who it was. However, judging from the footfalls, he had a pretty good idea. Sure enough, George Feeny soon walked around the corner.

"Mr. Hunter?" he asked with surprise.

"Uh, hi, Mr. Feeny," he answered. There was something strange about Feeny, something he couldn't place.

"As pleased as I am to see you here early," the principal began, "I received a call from your father informing me you did not go home two nights ago. As school principal, I'm obliged to inquire where you have been."

"Hey, I was just at a friend's place," he half-lied. Suddenly, he realized that he no longer heard the weird buzzing in the back of his head as he normally did when Feeny spoke. _Add that to the Good Changes list._

"Mr. Matthews'," Feeny stated, no question in his voice.

"No," he fully lied this time. "I've got other friends, you know. I've got family…"

"And yet you did not inform your father of your whereabouts," Feeny noted. "Are you in any trouble, Mr. Hunter?"

"No trouble," he lied again. "Can I go now, Mr. Feeny?"

"Very well, Mr. Hunter," Feeny allowed, notably dissatisfied. "If you need any advice, do not hesitate to ask." He turned, slowly to give Shawn a chance to answer if he wanted, and walked back the way he had come.

_Mr. Feeny, I want to eat people. Yeah, that would work well,_ he thought sarcastically. He walked over to his locker and fumbled with the lock. Even as a vampire, the little thing still annoyed him. Getting it open, he opened his locker to stare into the empty mirror attached to the inside of the door.

He had spent many minutes every day staring at his reflection, making sure his appearance was sexy enough to use for the rest of the day. Now, however, the mirror was faceless, only showing him what was behind him. He waved a hand over the surface, only able to see the back of his hand. He had seen a few empty mirrors since the change, but this really brought it home for him. _I'm never going to see myself again._

He felt like crying, but knew there were no tears to shed. The change seemed to have done away with that too. He closed his eyes and rested his head lightly against the door. _My life is completely screwed up,_ he silently wept. _At least I have Cory._

He remained in that position until he heard other students arrive. He looked up, back into the empty mirror, and decided it would be best to not be seen… not in it. Digging his fingernails into the edges, he easily pried loose the mirror. He glanced quickly around to make sure no one was nearby, and then tossed it down the hall; it struck the far wall and shattered. _Good riddance._

He looked into his locker for anything else to remove, but found nothing of great importance. He picked up a half-eaten candy bar, and sniffed it. It smelled strongly of chocolate, something he would normally find tasty, but now seemed as unappetizing as liver. He hesitantly took a bite and gagged at the taste, which was something like sawdust. He forced himself to swallow the bite and stuck the rest of the bar back in the locker. _Disgusting._

"Hi, Shawn," a feminine voice said from behind him.

It was Naomi, one of the many girls he occasionally dated. He breathed in her tantalizing scent, and tried to prepare himself for his hunger. "Naomi, hi," he turned to greet her, and swallowed.

Naomi was normally quite attractive, but today she seemed to simply radiate with sexiness. His mouth watered as he looked upon her form, vaguely aware she was speaking. Eyeing her shapely form, he found his eyes tracing every blue line beneath the surface of her skin, steadily moving his gaze upwards to her neck.

"Shawn, are you listening?" he heard her asking.

"Mn…" he got out, staring at the pulsing vein on the side of her throat. He imagined sinking his teeth in her flesh, her warm blood filling his mouth…

"I was just asking if you wanted to get a bite at Chubbie's tonight," she explained, apparently pleased at his attention.

_A bite sounds great…_ He pushed Naomi's long dark hair away from her neck, and lowered his lips to her neck, feeling her pulse beat against them. It would take one swift movement to drive his fangs inside her, suck the blood from her veins, and let her still body drop to the floor… "No!" he cried, pulling back from her in horror at what he had been about to do.

"Well, fine," she said, a bit peeved. "I'll just ask Ronnie."

_Good,_ he thought as she walked away, _Ronnie at least won't try to kill her._ He would have shivered if he had still possessed the ability. Oh, if Cory had been a talking steak, Naomi was a feast. She was a grand banquet sitting in the middle of the desert, and he a starved wanderer. It was becoming more and more clear just how difficult it was going be to survive this day.

Smelling Cory nearby, he sighed with relief. He definitely could use the support of his best friend. But there was another smell, sweeter and more delectable. _Of course,_ he grumbled mentally. _Wherever Cory goes, so does Topanga._ Sure enough, Cory and Topanga came around the corner and walked over to him.

"Hey, Shawn," Topanga greeted him, a worried look on her face. "Where have you been?"

Like Naomi, the urge to eat her was rather high. Not quite as unbearable as it had been with her, but still strong enough to make him cautious. "Well, you know," he shrugged, glancing at Cory. "Around." _Did you tell her yet?_

"Shawn," she went on, "Cory says your dad was worried about you. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

_Nope, he didn't tell her._ He focused his gaze directly at her forehead to stop from tracing her veins or looking at her neck. _She's my best friend's girl, she's my best friend's girl,_ he repeated in his thoughts. _What was the question again?_

"Honey," Cory spoke up from behind her, "I said I'd tell you about it later. After school at Chubbie's," he clarified for Shawn's benefit.

"If it's really that important, I guess I can wait," she admitted. "But, Shawn? Know that there's other people besides yourself that care about you. When you don't show up and your family has no clue where you've gone, we worry."

He nodded, pleased Topanga cared about him. Out of reflex, he took a deep breath, which brought in the tasty scents of all the students around him. "Yeah," he said, wincing at his slip. "I'm in trouble."


	3. Chapter 3

Shawn's hands flew to his ears in an attempt to shut out the awful sound that pierced the air. The school bell was normally a bit abrasive, but with his super-hearing the bell was like Godzilla's roar. "Urg," he groaned as it finally ended.

"Hey, Shawn are you alright?" Cory asked worried. Beside him, Topanga looked equally concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he got out, snapping his fingers to test his hearing. "Let's get to class."

"If you're sure you're alright," Topanga said.

"Well, I'm not," he admitted, "But there's nothing I can do about it, so let's go."

They stepped into the classroom, Shawn hurriedly taking his seat. Cory gave him a look of encouragement as he sat, while Topanga studied him with concern. _Some things stay the same,_ he noted, returning their gazes with a small smile.

It wasn't long before Feeny joined them inside the classroom. "Sorry I'm late. I was just finishing up something with Mr. Turner," he explained, stepping into his role as teacher. "Now, class, today we will be discussing the voyages of Marco Polo," he began, pacing back and forth, "His alleged journey to China, and the impact of his work upon world civilization. Mr. Hunter, please remove your sunglasses," Feeny said without missing a beat.

Without thinking, Shawn began to pull them off and winced at the light streaming in. "Erm, Mr. Feeny, my eyes have been bothering me, is it all right if I keep them on?"

"If your eyes are indeed hurting, perhaps you should see the nurse," Feeny suggested.

Shawn shook his head at the thought. The last thing he needed was his health examined. He had a feeling that his being animate without any heartbeat _might_ just cause a commotion he could unlive without.

"It's okay, Mr. Feeny," Cory cut in. "Shawn can borrow my notes."

"…Well, I suppose it would be alright," Feeny decided after a moment's consideration, turning back to the blackboard.

Shawn felt like breathing a sigh of relief, but held it back to prevent Feeny from becoming suspicious. _That's definitely some kind of next-door favoritism there,_ he thought.

Soon he found out the sunglasses were a blessing. Finally, he could fall asleep at his desk without anyone being the wiser – or half-asleep at least. His new and improved vampire body seemed quite adept at maintaining the appearance of alertness, while he could close his eyes and rest. And rest he did, for a great hunger stirred within him, one he hoped to calm by retaining his tranquility.

"Does anyone have any questions?" Feeny asked the class, apparently finishing some long speech to which Shawn didn't listen.

_None you could answer,_ he thought, keeping quiet. Topanga asked something about some foreign guy, attracting Feeny's attention for a moment. Using the distraction, he grabbed a Jolly Rancher from inside his desk, which he quickly unwrapped and popped in his mouth. Again, he nearly gagged at the awful taste, but it kept his mouth wet and him not thirsting quite as bad.

_This is ridiculous,_ he thought to himself. _Sooner or later, I'll need blood…_ His eyes involuntarily flicked to Topanga. _No,_ he told himself. _No negative thoughts._ After all, he couldn't starve to death. _I am not Dracula…_

"Mr. Hunter," Feeny interrupted his thoughts, "Perhaps you can tell us what it was that I just said?"

_Crap,_ he thought, trying to think. _Mr. Feeny, Marco Polo, China…_ "Uh, you were talking about Marco Polo's journey to Cathay—the Anglicized version of 'Catai' and an alternative name for China—where he describes leading an embassy to the Grand Kublai Khan, the first Emperor of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty."

The entire classroom shifted around in their seats to stare at him. Feeny himself looked deathly startled. "Well recited, Mr. Hunter," he acknowledged with a smile. "Nice to know you're paying attention for once." He went back to his lecture.

_But… but I wasn't!_ He was quite startled himself, for he could not recall hearing Feeny's lecture at all. Somehow, the words had just come to him out of the blue. However, he had a pretty good idea of what caused it. What else could it be but an aspect of becoming a vampire? The only real question was what exactly did it do?

_Did it make me smarter?_ He didn't feel any smarter. He tried thinking about math, but didn't seem to understand it any better. _Hell, I don't even know what it was I just said._ He knew it was something about China, and also something about Marco Polo, but he still couldn't remember anything practical about the subject.

_Okay,_ he thought, _Maybe it's a power that lets me say whatever necessary to get out of awkward situations._ If it was so, the power could be very useful… However, it didn't make perfect sense. If he had the power to avoid awkward situations, he would not have earlier lost control and hurt Cory.

He winced as he thought about his awful slip. _That is exactly why I can't think about blood,_ he told himself, accidentally thinking about it. His stomach growled at the thought of what was, regretably, now food. _Maybe I can find a way to drink it without hurting anyone?_ he thought hopefully.

An idea struck him: Uncle Louis. Uncle Louis had a strange fixation with his own blood, and would often cut himself and collect it. It would be an easy matter for Shawn to steal it from his fridge. He had, in fact, done so before to donate to a blood drive. With this to look forward to, he went back to half-sleeping.

Eventually there came another earth-shattering bell ring, and he joined Cory and Topanga in the halls once more. "I'm fine," he insisted before they could say anything.

"Of course you are," Cory agreed as though it was the most natural thing in the world, although Shawn could tell from his increased heartrate that he was stretching the truth a bit.

"We were just curious that you started paying attention in class," Topanga added, equally deceitful. "Right, hun?"

"Yeah, Shawn!" Cory said, genuinely impressed. "Even Feeny didn't mention all that stuff about Cathay. Where'd you learn that?"

"Oh, you know," he mumbled, looking Cory in the eye, "I just thought I'd study a bit, mix things up. Can I speak to you for a minute?" He grabbed Cory around the shoulders without waiting for an answer and ushered him away from the living delicacy. "He'll meet you there!" he called to Topanga.

"So," Cory began, understandably a bit startled after he was dragged to the other side of the room by his vampire friend, "What's up?"

Shawn wished he could reassure his friend that he wasn't losing control, that he didn't want to eat every girl at school, but could not do so truthfully. Even for him, master of lies, he could not bring himself to deceive his best friend so badly. So, instead, he focused on the other issue. "I _did not_ know anything that I said in there."

"What?" Cory asked, confused.

He unslung his arm from around Cory's shoulders, and turned to face him, "That stuff I said about Marco Polo? I have _no idea_ where that came from. It's like the words just _jumped_ into my head without warning."

"Huh," Cory nodded. "You think it's the vampire thing?"

"Cory, of course it's the vampire thing," he said. "I mean, what else could it have been? The space aliens left the trailer park two summers ago, and I don't think they'd have any interest in me."

"Okay, okay," Cory muttered, processing it. "Well, has it happened before?"

"No."

"Then, relax," Cory smiled. "Whatever it is was probably just a one time thing. Probably didn't have anything to do with being a vampire. You probably just heard it somewhere and it stuck in the back of your head."

"Yeah," Shawn nodded. "Yeah. I'm probably just being paranoid. Hey, remember that time we thought we'd caused Stuart Minkus to vanish into thin air?"

"Oh, yeah!" Cory laughed. "That was… You, uh, know what happened to him?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"He probably went to some gifted school," Shawn supposed. "Why? You don't think we…?"

"No, no!" Cory laughed.

"Of course not," Shawn agreed, laughing with him.

"So, uh, you coming to lunch?" Cory asked after they stopped laughing.

Shawn looked away from his friend as the hunger pains returned. "No, you go without me," he denied. "I'll just run around the building a few times, work off some stress."

"Well, okay, Shawn," Cory said, "If you're sure you're alright."

_Why does everyone keep asking that?_ "I'm fine," he lied again. "Hey," he said to change the subject, "Isn't it weird that we have lunch after only one class?"

"It's a weird school," Cory agreed. "You know the stories better than anyone." He glanced in the direction of the infamous other side of the school, where few dared venture.

"Yeah…" Shawn muttered. "Wonder if that's where Minkus went?" he jokingly suggested.

----

Cory sighed, pretending to run his fingers through his air as Shawn would have done, instead just brushing the curled mess with his fingertips. He knew his friend was suffering, but he had absolutely no idea how to help. It wasn't as though he could go to a teacher for advice either.

"Hey, Matthews," the voice of Joey the Rat came from behind him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Look, Joey," he said, turning to face his once-tormentor, "Now really isn't a good time."

"Nonsense!" Joey cried, leading Cory aside to an isolated hallway. "It's always a good time for lawn chairs!"

"Lawn chairs?" he asked, confused.

"Stolen lawn chairs," Joey clarified, pulling a catalog out of his backpack. "That perfect thing to decorate your yard. I got a whole bunch of 'em…"

"Joey," he tried, but the thief just flipped to the back of the book.

"You don't like chairs? How 'bout some lawn gnomes, huh? I've got a two-for-one deal on stolen lawn gnomes."

"That one's kind of creepy-looking," he muttered, staring at one of the pictures. The gnome lay on his stomach, looking up at the camera with a grin. The eyebrows were sharply angled, giving the appearance of anger, and the lips were painted a deep red, as though coated with fresh blood…

"I'll give it to you with a discount for creepiness," Joey said, still trying to make a sale.

"Forget the gnomes," he said, coming to a decision. "Joey, I need a favor," he said seriously.

"Yeah, sure," Joey agreed, putting away the catalog. "What do you need?"

Cory hesitated, thinking of his promise, but then continued, certain it was for the best, "The other day at Chubbie's, me and Shawn met this girl, Margaret. She's… She, uh, went out with Shawn a couple nights ago and he hasn't heard from her… If you could figure out where she lives, that would be helpful."

"Yeah, I'll look into it," Joey agreed. "But first I will require some advance funding."

Agreeing, Cory paid him ten bucks. _What am I doing?_ he thought. _Never mind breaking a promise, what could I even tell the police?_

"Pleasure doin' business with you," Joey remarked as he walked away.

"Thanks," Cory managed to say back, as he stood in thought. _I'm just learning her location; I'll decide what to do from there._

----

_What am I doing?_ Shawn thought as the frightened pigeon tried to escape from his grasp. The bird's heartbeat thudded in his ears, and he yearned to satisfy his instincts.

He had been doing just what he said he'd do: run around the building until he lost his appetite. It had seemed logical from his point of view. The constant feeling of being surrounded by sunlight was quite overwhelming, and it preceded his feeding instincts.

Then the birds had flown overhead. Before he knew what he was doing, he had jumped up two stories, grabbed one, and fell back to earth.

"I am not Dracula," he reminded himself. But despite his reluctance to kill the flying rat, he knew it was, in essence, no different from eating a bit of chicken. _Better a bird than a chick, right?_

After a moment's pause, he swiftly snapped the bird's neck to end its pain, and then buried his fangs in its body. There wasn't much blood in such a small animal, but he felt his hunger sated. Not much flavor, but there didn't have to be.

He pulled back to gaze in disgust at the mutilated bird. _What the hell am I?_ He set the lifeless body gently on the ground and carefully buried it, almost wanting to say a prayer or whatever people were supposed to do at funerals. But what could he say, 'Sorry I ate you and not a chicken'?

He looked away, toward the school, wondering if he should find Cory. _No,_ he decided. _I've frightened him enough today._ He'd just hole himself up in the nicely shadowed Chubbie's, and wait for Cory to bring Topanga. "Yeah," he nodded, quietly speaking to himself. "I'll see you guys there."

If anyone had been watching him, they would have only seen a faint blur as he launched himself toward the teen hangout.

----

"Mr. Feeny, do you know anything about… vampires?"

It was late in the day. Shawn seemed to have left early, not that Cory could blame him. Catching Feeny in the hall, he tried to see if his friend's change was something he could remotely discuss with his teacher.

"Well, Mr. Matthews," the older man began, "The myth of the vampire exists in every culture. The Indian goddess Kali was said to have killed the demon Raktabija by drinking his blood. The most well known is the Romanian vampire, popularized by Bram Stoker's _Dracula_. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just something, uh, Shawn was talking about the other day," Cory said quickly.

"I see," Feeny nodded. "How is Shawn?"

"Oh, he's…" Cory tried to come up with something to say. "He's got girl trouble. You know, the kind that you think is all nice and decent, but you turn around and she's the girlfriend from Hell. Haha," he laughed nervously. "Anyway, do you actually believe in vampires?"

"Hmm," Feeny grunted. "Well, I do believe what Shakespeare said, 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophies.' I will say, however, that I have never seen any evidence that the vampire myths are anything but that: myth."

"Oh, yeah," he pretended to agree. "Hey, I was just wondering…"

"If you or Mr. Hunter are interested," Feeny added, "I have a book on the subject you may find of enjoyment: _Legends of the Dead_, by Frank Farkas. I could lend it to you after school if either of you wish."

"Sure," he agreed, smiling. "That could be useful."

"Planning on raising the dead, Mr. Matthews?" Feeny asked. "While my usual advice would be to let sleeping bones lay, sometimes it is best to unearth past tragedies, bring them into the light of day."

"Oh?" he asked, confused as usual by Feeny's guidance.

"Indeed," the teacher went on, "For only then, when the world knows of the crimes of yesterday, can we hope to ensure tomorrow will be safe for the ones we love most."

"Okay," he nodded, pretending to understand while mystified in reality.

"You're a good friend," Feeny smiled encouragingly. "I know you will do what is best for both of you." He gave Cory a pat on the shoulder, and walked off to leave Cory confused out of his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Topanga asked. They had gotten Cory's favorite booth at Chubbie's, the one farthest from the entrance yet closest to the counter. He figured the sentimentality of the location would ease the discussion.

"Well, it's Shawn," he started. A sudden motion caught his eye, and he glanced up to see Shawn standing near the counter. The sunglasses were off, and his oddly iridescent eyes watched him intently.

"Yes?" Topanga prodded, bringing back his attention.

"Shawn," he repeated, trying to figure out how to continue. "Do you believe in ghosts?" he asked her. _That's normal enough, right?_

"Ghosts?" she asked, surprised at the question. "Well, not as much as I used to… Why, has Shawn been haunted by a ghost?"

"You're not far off…" he said, trying to come up with something good to say. Perhaps some clever commentary gently easing in to the complicated concept that… "Shawn's a vampire," he blurted.

"What?" she laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," he said, attempting to convey his truthfulness in his voice. "I am."

"And Shawn told you this?" she said incredulously, calming down a bit.

"He did," Cory agreed. "Then he showed me he didn't have a reflection."

"Oh, come on, Cory," she said, annoyance appearing on her features. "I know I used to be the weird hippie kid, but you can't possibly expect me to fall for something like this."

"Shawn?" Cory called out, looking for his friend's support. With a blur and a sudden shift of weight, Shawn appeared next to him on the bench, sipping a glass of Cola.

Topanga jumped in her seat. "Where did you come from?"

"From the trailer park," Shawn joked, winking at her, and drawing attention to his eyes.

"So, you want me to believe you're a vampire?" she asked, still looking annoyed.

"Well, yeah," Shawn said with a grin that exposed his fangs. "You still need convincing?" At Topanga's nod, he stretched his arm across the table, holding his hand out to her. "Feel my pulse."

Compliantly, she laid two fingers upon his wrist, only to pull back in alarm. Breathing heavily, she tensed and looked at him with wide eyes. "When did this happen?"

"Two nights ago," Shawn answered, his face darkening.

Cory wondered whether to mention Margaret, and remembered the errand he had sent Joey on. _Did I do the right thing?_

"Oh, Shawn," she comforted him, albeit nervously. "What did this?"

"My date," Shawn said simply. "She bit me."

"Oh God…" she said, understanding finally setting in. "So you, uh, drink blood?"

"No," Shawn said. "I refuse to, and it seems I can get by on this." He indicated the glass.

"Well, that's good," she said uncomfortably. "Who else knows about this?"

"It's just you and Cory, okay? Nobody else needs to know."

"What about your dad?" she pointed out. "Shawn, I know he'd want to hear about this."

"Look, I can't tell him. Can't we just leave it at that?"

"Shawn, we're your friends," Cory said. "Tell us what's wrong." _Tell me, your best friend._

"…Okay," Shawn said finally. "Look, vampires in general don't want people to know about them. If I were to tell dad, I'd be putting him in danger."

"From Margaret?" asked Cory, beginning to worry about Joey.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Neither of you can tell anyone, okay? Promise you won't."

"We promise, Shawn," Cory said easily. Topanga, however, stayed quiet. "Don't we, honey?"

"I don't know, Shawn," she said, "This Margaret person sounds dangerous; we should get help."

"Help from who?" Shawn asked, sounding annoyed. "Who could help us with something like this?"

"What about your relatives?" she asked. "You're always getting help from them."

"No," Shawn shook his head. "Not even Uncle Jeffrey could handle something like this, and he has two life-sentences."

"Topanga," Cory began, "I don't think you're quite grasping the severity of the situation. Shawn has become an _undead creature of ze night_," he said in a bad Transylvanian accent.

Shawn rolled his eyes.

"My point," Topanga sighed, "Is that this is a little larger than the three of us are equipped to handle. We need help."

Shawn shook his head. "There is no help."

"Ooh, hold on," Cory interjected. He reached into his backpack and dug out an old hardbound book, on which was written in a flowing script: _Legends of the Undead_. "Maybe this could help?" He set it on the table.

"Cory, where'd you get this?" Topanga asked, while Shawn glanced at it with his usual lack of interest toward anything literary. She pulled it across the table and ruffled through it.

"From Feeny," he answered.

Shawn looked at him warily. "Cory, what did you tell him?"

"Nothing," he insisted. "I told him nothing. What, you think he'd believe something like this? No, I just… you know, said I had an interest in vampires… and he gave me a book."

"That's all you told him?" Shawn's face begged not to be betrayed.

"That's all," he stated, swiping his hand through the air to emphasize his words.

"Thank you, Cor," Shawn whispered. He carefully placed his hand on Cory's shoulder, exactly the place where he had lost control, and squeezed very gently. "I don't know how I could exist without you…"

Cory reached his hand up to his shoulder, brushing against Shawn's hand. "Hey, best friends, remember…" he muttered, looking at Shawn with a small smile.

"So…" They turned to see Topanga looking up at them from the book with a pointed expression. "…Do you two want to be left alone?" she finished, raising an eyebrow.

It took a beat for them to understand what she meant. When they did, they quickly snatched their hands away, and scooted a bit away from each other on the booth.

"No, we're good," Shawn said sheepishly. "So, anything useful in there?"

Cory was thankful for the subject change as his girlfriend turned back to the book. "Well," she sighed, "There certainly is a hefty vampire section… I don't know if there's anything related…" She shifted through the pages. "I suppose we should first identify what _kind_ of vampire Shawn is. Shawn, do… you eat flesh or just blood?"

"Just blood," Shawn answered immediately. He soon backtracked, "Well, I mean, _I_ don't. But, there is the, uh, urge. No, _I_ drink this." He raised his Cola and took a big sip.

"We can rule out Australian, then," Topanga mused to herself. "Can you separate your head from your body and fly about the countryside?"

Shawn just stared at her, incredulous.

"Not Japanese," she nodded, turning back.

"Hey, Topanga, couldn't he be Romanian?" Cory suggested, remembering something Feeny said earlier. "After all, that's where Dracula came from and all…"

"Let me look," she said, flipping through the book. "Okay, yeah, this looks good. Shawn, you have no reflection, right?"

"Right," he agreed with a note of sadness.

"Can you cross bodies of water?"

"We live in Philadelphia," Shawn pointed out. "Not much opportunity for that."

"Enter a house without the permission of an inhabitant?"

This made Shawn pause, and Cory remembered how he had waited outside the window last night until he got an express invitation.

"I'm…" Shawn grimaced. "…Not quite sure on that. But, no, I don't think so."

Topanga nodded. "Yeah, Romanian seems about right… Oh!" She closed the book. "…I'll try and look over it tonight, see if I see anything." She scooped the book up to her chest and, rising from the table, backed away toward the stairs.

"You're leaving?" Cory asked, confused. Beside him, Shawn simply followed her with his eyes.

"I've just got a lot of homework to catch up on," she babbled, continuing to back away. "I'll… see you guys later. Cory, you… look after Shawn." She hurried away.

"What was that all about?" Cory wondered aloud.

Shawn sighed, downing the rest of his soda in one gulp. "I'm sure she just read about our delightful hunter instincts. We're quite the murderous lot."

"Shawn, I know you're not a blood-sucker," Cory reassured him. "I'll talk to Topanga. She shouldn't act like that."

"Not her fault, Cor," Shawn muttered, almost too soft to be heard. "She should be scared…"

"Shawn, you're not a monster," Cory insisted. "You can resist. You just need some positive thinking." He waved his hand in the air, "Hey, Chubbie! Really, really rare steak for Foxy!"

"Hey, Chubbie!" Shawn called, standing up. "No! No steak necessary." He looked down at Cory, "Thanks for the thought, but I'm on a 'liquid diet.'" He rattled the ice cubes in his glass.

"More Cola, then?" Cory offered.

"No, that's not… It's getting late," Shawn changed the subject. "We should be getting back before your mom starts to worry about you."

"Since when do you care about my mom?" Cory smiled, knowing Shawn was just covering his own concern.

"I don't," he denied. "It's just… Now we know there are things to be scared of."

Cory swallowed. "Uh, yeah, but, are you still gonna stay in my room? Eric's gonna be home tonight."

Shawn paused. "I'll think of something. Just leave the window open."

"Hey, Foxy," Chubbie called as they were on their way out. "Your father called last night, said he's looking for ya."

"If he calls again, tell him I don't want to be found," Shawn called without turning around. "C'mon Cory…"

They emerged into twilight. Shawn blinked a bit, but refrained from putting his sunglasses back on. "Everything looks weird," he muttered. "Would prefer it darker."

They started walking. It was a normal route, but it was hard to feel at peace when Shawn was acting so edgy. He would pause every so often, and just stand there breathing. Cory wondered if Shawn needed to focus on breathing. Maybe this was his way of trying to capture a feeling of normalcy?

"Cory," Shawn whispered one such time, "I… think you should go on without me."

"What?" he asked, smiling like it was a joke. "What's the problem?"

"No problem," Shawn insisted, taking in a deep breath. "I just… really think you should go on your own."

"C'mon, Shawn," he sighed. "I know you're not a killer. You don't have to–" His sentence was sharply interrupted as Shawn immediately closed the distance between them and placed a finger against his lips.

"Cory," Shawn spoke intently, "I promise I'll meet you there, okay? But you need to go now. Please?"

"O…kay," Cory agreed. "I guess I'll see you."

"Later," Shawn nodded, his mind elsewhere.

----

Shawn watched as Cory ran off towards his house. He simply stood in place and waited. After a moment, he took another sniff. Sure enough, that sweet smell hadn't vanished with Cory.

"I know you're there," he said to the air, "Margaret."

Behind him, he heard a soft thud and turned to see his newest girlfriend. Unlike him, she had mastered her incredible speed and so moved forward with a silent grace, her long black hair trailing behind her.

"Who said I was hiding?" she asked with a small smile. She nodded in the direction Cory left, "Your pet?"

Shawn felt his hands clench into fists. "Stay away from him," he nearly growled.

Margaret's eyebrows went up, but she said nothing more on the subject. "I know what you're going through," she said instead. "You don't know how you should live. You feel torn between two worlds…"

"Shut up!" This time, he literally growled the words. "I'm sick of people trying to… You… you made me into a…" he broke off and turned his head to the side. Were he human, tears would have begun to flow from his eyes.

"Shawn," she began, but he cut her off.

"No, just leave me alone!" _Leave us alone._ He turned and leapt up onto the nearest rooftop, proceeding to put as much distance between them as he could without leaving the city. He needn't have bothered, for she never followed.


End file.
